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The Tigers picked up three wins on the weekend thanks to some outstanding pitching and an improved, but still developing offense.
An area of strength for the Tiger lineup over the weekend was scoring early. LSU scored two runs in the first inning of game one against Omaha and game four against Southeastern Missouri. The Tigers were also able to score a run in the second inning of the game versus Kansas.
Another plus on the weekend was the offensive distribution. In the three wins, LSU’s 7-8-9 hitters went a combined 12-of-26 with eight runs scored. Aliyah Andrews had a particularly solid weekend going 6-for-8 with three runs scored. Other notable performances include Connie Quinn’s 3-of-6 weekend and Sydney Springfield’s 3-for-4, 6 RBI game against Kansas. However, the top performer of the weekend was Bailey Landry who went 8-for-14 with a home run, four RBIs, and five runs scored.
LSU’s offensive inconsistencies were on display in a 1-0 loss to Tulsa. Granted, Tulsa's Emily Watson is an outstanding pitcher, but just five hits and a walk is still disappointing given how well LSU’s offense is capable of playing. Particularly disappointing was how LSU was unable to cash in with runners on first and third with no out in the sixth inning.
Carley Hoover was in the circle for the loss to Tulsa. The LSU ace was outstanding allowing just one hit and three walks and striking out eight, allowing the lone run on a sacrifice to center. Hoover had another brilliant outing earlier in the weekend against Kansas, surrendering one earned on two hits and six strikeouts. Allie Walljasper also had a great weekend, logging 11.1 innings of shutout pitching with 12 strikeouts. Maribeth Gorsuch struggled in her start against SEMO, surrendering two home runs in 2.2 innings.
Defensively, LSU was okay over the three games, committing two errors in total, leading to one earned run.
In total, this weekend probably didn’t tell us anything new about the Tigers. The pitching was outstanding, the hitting improved but still seemed inconsistent and the defense was okay though still prone to mistakes but better than a year ago. Still, to see the pitching rebound after last weekend is promising and the offense becoming more consistent is a positive that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The Tigers finally return to Baton Rouge for Tuesday’s game against Nicholls before the weekend series against Georgia.